2011 December | Global Investors

Archive for December, 2011

Senior Organization calls for Maher?s Cancellation

December 31st, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors

AMAC, the 250,000 member Association of Mature American Citizens today called for the cancellation of Bill Maher?s TV show on HBO after Maher used the F word describing what Jesus did to Tim Tebow following the loss of his Denver Broncos to Buffalo on Saturday.
?It is one thing to mock a religious figure for a few cheap laughs, it is another thing to blaspheme Jesus, a young man, who many believe gave his life as a sacrifice for all humankind.? said Dan Weber, AMAC?s president. ?Maher evidently doesn?t think Jesus is the divine Son of God, but he has… View full post on Live News from PR-USA.net

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Planalytics To Provide Weather Guidance For The 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic

December 31st, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors

Planalytics Inc., the leading global provider of Business Weather Intelligence®, announced that they will be working with the National Hockey League (NHL) for their annual outdoor game, the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers in Philadelphia, PA.
Planalytics will be onsite and providing weather-related information in connection with the event.
“The NHL Winter Classic has quickly become one of the best sports traditions,” said Scott Bernhardt, President of Planalytics. “We couldn?t be more pleased to be a part of the event both from a business weather perspective and Philadelphia sports perspective.”
The game… View full post on Live News from PR-USA.net

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4 Fandango.com Movie Tickets = $24

December 31st, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors

Daily deals site KGBDeals has a national deal of 4 Fandango.com movie tickets for $24. Each ticket has a maximum value of $12 (total $48). Deal is scheduled to run through the New Year’s weekend, over 7,000 sold so far. If you use eBates ($10 new user bonus) or Mr. Rebates ($5 new user bonus), can get some additional cash back.

Fandango codes will not be available until promotion end date on January 3rd, 2012. Valid until February 12, 2012. Both tickets must be purchased together in the same transaction for the same movie and showtime. This offer may be applied to IMAX or 3D tickets, up to maximum per-ticket code value.

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<a href= 4 Fandango.com Movie Tickets = $24 from My Money Blog.

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Average Credit Score and Consumer Debt Loads By Age Group

December 30th, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors

CreditKarma.com (which provides free credit scores) recently released an infographic “The Lifecycle of Debt and Credit Scores” that shows both the average credit score and the average amounts of different debt types by age bracket. I notice that mortgage debt jumps significantly from the 30-34 to the 35-39 bracket, and sadly doesn’t go back down to those levels until past age 80. I’m surprised by the amount of mortgage debt from the 65+ crowd.

It’s also a little sad to see credit card debt being held by someone 95-99, and I also wonder why average credit scores start to decrease again after age 80. Is it because of increased money problems from health issues, or something like a “you can’t take it with you” attitude?

(click to enlarge)

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<a href= Average Credit Score and Consumer Debt Loads By Age Group from My Money Blog.

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5% Off BP Gas With American Express

December 29th, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors

American Express has another promotion offering 5% off all gas purchases at BP until 1/31/2012 when you register your card. It says you must be invited, but these offers are often found via a simple banner link somewhere on their website and usually work as long as they accept your card number. You get the 5% back via statement credit, on top of your existing card rewards. I registered my trusty Starwood AmEx travel rewards card with no issues.

Try yours… it’s worth a shot for an additional 15+ cents off per gallon. If you combined this with the Blue Cash Preferred AmEx with 3% back on gas, you’d be looking at 8% total cashback.

Update: The wording is ambiguous, could mean 5% back on all your purchases for the entire month!

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<a href= 5% Off BP Gas With American Express from My Money Blog.

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Flexible Spending Account Ideas: Use It Or Lose It! (Updated 2011)

December 29th, 2011 | Posted by Global Investors

Like many of you, we have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) that allows us to pay qualified healthcare expenses using tax-free money. (Did you know that FSA money is also exempt from payroll taxes in addition to income taxes?) I still think the idea of guessing your future healthcare expenses in a use-it-or-lose-it system is incredibly stupid, but it is what it is. We recently even got one of those FSA debit cards so at least we don’t have to deal with faxing in receipts when purchasing from approved merchants.

If you didn’t exhaust your funds with insurance copays or deductibles, here’s a quick guide to using up all that cash. First, I should say that some plans allow a grace period until March 31st as opposed to a December 31st deadline to use your 2011 funds, so confirm with your FSA administrator.

The go-to product used to be buying over-the-counter drugs like cough medicine or painkillers. But effective January 1, 2011, the cost of over-the-counter medications are no longer eligible unless the medication was prescribed by a doctor. Keep this in mind for 2012 and ask for that “official” prescription for the OTC drugs you buy on a regular basis. In that case, why not order an advanced refill of your existing prescriptions instead.

Don’t forget, Target and Walmart now offer 30-day supplies for $4 and 90-day supplies for $10 on many generic drugs that are also packaged under over-the-counter labels.

FSA Items Still Available Over-The-Counter Without A Prescription

Eye care (contact lenses, solution, drops)
First aid supplies (bandages, gauze, tape) for emergency kits
Family planning products (birth control, pregnancy tests)
Home testing aids (blood pressure, diabetes, thermometers)

As a reference, I usually check the well-organized lists from health insurers like Aetna or third-party FSA administrators like Conexis. In addition, just about every online drugstore (Drugstore.com, CVS, Walgreens) now has a special FSA-eligible section, but some still include items which now require a prescription under the the new regulations (look for FSA vs. FSARx).

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<a href= Flexible Spending Account Ideas: Use It Or Lose It! (Updated 2011) from My Money Blog.